At PCI our Mission is to support committed students in achieving the technical and professional skills essential for their chosen career through industry-modeled, student-centered education and training.

History

Originally founded as the Porter School of Engineering Design in Hartford, Connecticut in 1946, Porter and Chester Institute (PCI) has enjoyed a long history of training New England’s workforce for success across a wide range of vocational professions. From our first career school and its early program offerings, we have expanded to nine locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts that now offer 10 career training programs with academic curriculums based on the needs of our students and area employers.

In 1973, the Porter School of Engineering Design and the Chester Institute for Technical Education of Stratford, Connecticut, became one institution. Subsequently, the name Porter and Chester Institute was adopted, and the curricula contents and operational policies of the two institutions were standardized. At the same time, the Porter School, which was located in Rocky Hill Connecticut, became the Rocky Hill Campus of Porter and Chester Institute.

In response to the increasing demand for PCI graduates, a campus was established in Waterbury, CT in 1977 (moved in 1986 to Watertown, CT). As opportunities continued to expand, in 1979 the Enfield, CT campus was added to serve central Connecticut, as well as southwestern Massachusetts. As the Enfield campus continued to grow the demand from Western Massachusetts led to the decision in 1993 to open a campus in Chicopee, MA to more directly serve that market.

In August 1995, the stockholders of PCI purchased the Connecticut School of Electronics (CSE). CSE was established in 1947 in New Haven, CT. In 1996, to accommodate its growing enrollment and expansion plans, CSE moved from New Haven to larger quarters in Branford, Connecticut and was renamed Porter and Chester Institute of Branford.

As demand for quality technical education continued to grow the decision was made to begin expanding our Massachusetts presence into the eastern part of state. In 2003 PCI opened a campus in Westborough, MA followed a few years later by Canton, MA in 2009.

In an effort to better serve our local markets we relocated two campus locations. First, in October of 2014, the Westborough campus was moved to Worcester where the majority or our students attending that campus came from. Then in October of 2016 we moved our Watertown campus to the more convenient Waterbury location that resulted in less travel and easier accessibility for both our students as well as our staff.

As its history indicates, Porter and Chester Institute is an experienced, consistent provider of technical, career-focused education and health related occupational preparation. Its history also reveals that the Institute is dedicated not only to its students but also to the community in general.

PCI Mission, Vision and Values

Educational Philosophy

We never lose sight of our core mission to support committed students in achieving the technical and professional skills essential for their chosen career through industry-modeled, student-centered education and training. We accomplish this mission by following these core tenets of career education and training excellence:

Deliver relevant content in a high quality learning environment

Build a positive work atmosphere based on mutual respect

Meet the employment needs of our students, area employers and the community at large

Promote professional growth

At Porter and Chester Institute, we expect great things from our students and graduates –and they do not disappoint.

PCI is recognized as an Apple Distinguished School

Porter and Chester Institute operates 13 campuses to serve students interested in post-secondary career-training education and provides a hands-on learning experience to enhance classroom concepts. The school provides iPads to students in many of its programs to facilitate a real world learning environment. Our book* tells the story of Porter and Chester Institute and how we have integrated technology and the use of tablets into our non-traditional classrooms.

*This book is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device. Multi-touch books can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device. Books with interactive features may work best on an iOS device. iBooks on your Mac requires OS X 10.9 or later.

Porter and Chester Institute Annual Security Report

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Awareness Policy

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Why Porter and Chester Institute?

PCI has been providing career training in New England since 1946

We have 8 campuses located throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts

PCI holds accreditation through ACCSC, a recognized accrediting agency by the US Dept. of Education

“I’m glad I chose Porter and Chester Institute. The entire staff was encouraging and really helpful. They were always available to me and my classmates for extra help. Now I’m exactly where I wanted to be, working with children.”

Traci D.

“The instructors at Porter and Chester are excellent. They prepared me for a future in Computer Aided Drafting and Design. Through Porter and Chester’s externship program, I was able to get a hands on view of Drafting and my new career. Thanks Porter and Chester.”

Ryan D.

“Porter and Chester provided the training I needed to advance my career in heating and air conditioning.”

“The Instructors were motivating, interesting, and so knowledgeable that the text books were used mostly as reference. The hands-on training really provided a real-world experience.”

Raymond T

“I had been drafting by hand in the architecture and interior design field for years. And now, thanks to Porter and Chester Institute, I’ve learned computer aided drafting (CADD) and have moved into the 21st century.”

Sandra A.

“Porter and Chester Institute helped me to completely turn my life around. I no longer have just a job, now I have a career. Porter and Chester Institute helped me in every aspect of my education. They not only helped with learning the technical material they also helped me find employment.”